Cuba Aliados Toro Extra Maduro

Handmade by famed cigar maker Rolando Reyes, Sr. at the Puros Indios factory in Honduras, Cuba Aliados is a flavorful medium-bodied blend of Cuban-seed Dominican tobaccos wrapped by Nicaraguan Maduro leaf. Note the appearance of the cigar is just a tad on the rustic side, but also note that it’s well made— Rolando Reyes cigars are always well-rolled. You can count on a great draw, a nice even burn and a smooth and balanced flavorful experience, in this case with notes of earth, spices, pepper, cedar and a toasty, semi-sweet finish. Your Cuba Aliados will hold a long and impressive looking ash and there should be no need for relights or even touch-ups throughout the duration of this 45 to 50 minute smoke. Enjoy this one with a malty red ale or, if a cocktail is more your style, a mojito.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S. The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.